Book Study /Chapter #7/ June 20th - June 26

  • Greetings to all lurkers and posters.
    This is going to be a new thread topic focused on "studying" Dr Phils The Ultimate Weight Solution
    We invite you to read the entire book or take it one chapter at a time, following the discussion within this thread.

    Each Sunday we will start discussing a new chapter for that week.
    This will be a 12 week program. We hope all of you join in every week.

    If you just now found this site... be sure and go back and read all the threads for each previous chapter we did.
    If you are joining us late... just go back and read each chapter and add your comments in that chapters thread. Be sure to let us know in the current thread so we can go back and read your comments.

    It is recommended you have a pen, pencil and/or a colored highlighter with you as you read.
    Mark every word, sentence, phrase or paragraph that hit home for YOU.
    Read each chapter as if you are going to be tested .. (You're not going to be tested)
    Then come to this thread and share what hit home for you... what you took away with you from that chapter and how you are incorporating it into YOUR life.
    Feel free to post often ... you may get a dozen different topics you want to share per each chapter.

    I know many can read the entire book in an evening... others will need a week... while some of us may need the entire 12 weeks. There are 12 chapters ... plus a few extra topics at the end. But the idea of this thread is to share what we learned from each chapter and learn from others insights.

    You do not have to be a Dr. Phil fan... many here are not. BUT... let's face it... we can all learn something new that just might be what will make a difference.
    Each Sunday anyone can feel free to copy and paste this introduction and then start the new study.
    Be sure to title it Book Study /Chapter #/ date-date
    We are looking forward to reading everyones input.
  • Well, the "Behavioral Audit" on page 128 turned out to be a bummer. I scored a 17. NOT good.

    Quote:
    If you begin to behave in ways that reflect and define your weight-control priorities, then you'll start enjoying the consequences of that behavior.
    I have never "enjoyed" the consequences of dieting. I either don't stay on one long enough or I wasn't willing to live that way.

    "Payoff" -
    1. Fat protects me
    2. I can blame fat for things wrong in my life
    3. Food temporarily comforts me when no one else is there to do it
    4. I use food to fill myself up - but am using food to fill a spot it can't -
    soul/spirit/heart of me

    I need to find those buttons to push to change my behavior.

    I just read the "DO THIS EXERCISE" on page 135 - I will have to do some heavy thinking about this and post it later.

    Well, maybe - after my "confession post" on Chapter 5 everyone but Terri & BarbG deserted me!!!! Maybe I should
  • Page 139

    Quote:
    Remove food as your way of coping with life.


    Is this me or what?
  • Page 140

    Quote:
    Medically, it has been shown time after time that the more we concentrate on pain, the more we feel it. Focusing on something else, rather than on the pain, actually alleviates the pain.
    I KNOW this works because I do it everyday with my fibro pain - so, Lord help me tranfer this knowlege to my weight issue!!!!

    Page 142
    Quote:
    Substitute activities that interfere with overeating, binging and other self-defeating behaviors.
    I see part of my problem here. I get everything I need to get done for the day before I sit down to eat dinner. I look forward to eating dinner knowing I can relax because all of my work is done!!!! I have to change this.
  • Lucky - I'm running behind this week! Now, I'm the one fizzling!
  • I am finding this chapter VERY worthwhile. If you want to go another week it's okay by me.
  • I'm here and working on Chapter 7!

    I do whole heartedly believe his comment about "behaving your way to a healthy, fit body".

    This really sums out how I used to...and still sometimes do.. eat: from P. 127

    Quote:
    All were eating in an unconscious manner, ignoring the experience of eating, eating simply because of reflex, or concentrating on other things while consuming food. .... they had stopped paying attention to what they were eating, how much they were eating, where they were eating, and what the real consequences of their eating behavior were.
    How many times have I done that? I don't think I'm as bad as I used to be, especially when single, but I know it still happens. I don't savor enough. Its like if its really good, I have to have the sensation continuously until its gone...but its gone too quickly. Then that leads to more portions.

    I should practice taking a bite and laying down the fork.

    I took the Behavioral Audit and did okay. I scored a zero. This reflects that I have made lots of changes but do still have room for improvement. Taking the audit kind of validates that all my efforts in the past have led to something good.

    Probing my payoffs....
    This one I struggle with. I know what my payoffs used to be over the years:

    1. Food was my solace for a lonely, inhibited, childhood. Especially when mom and dad were fighting.
    2. It stayed a friend, comfort, security, reward during my single years when I was so lonely.
    3. It was also a reward after a long hard week when I was working full-time and attending college at night.

    Now, the thing I've been wondering is what payoff I get NOW. I've thought of that several times since Dr.P started talking about payoffs months ago. Perhaps, it is the laziness of not addressing change.

    I'll work through the exercise on page 135 and think some more about the payoffs.

    Keep posting on this Lucky. I'm be here with you. I WILL NOT abandon you.
  • Leave it to Dr. Phil. I just read through the payoff section and sure enough, he nailed it.

    Here are the areas where I continue to receive payoffs from food:

    Pleasure

    I like food. Not just anything, but I like good food. And if I have good food, I think that I have to have all of it that something so good can't left on the plate. I get pleasure from the sensation of food. He summed it up really well and directly with the "party in your mouth" comment. That's me.

    Emotional Relief

    This is where I used to be and he is so right about the downside of emotional eating - it only leads to feeling worse about yourself. I have made big strides in this area but it still crops up every now and then. Boredom and stress.

    Irrational Rewards

    This is another one that used to be a contributor. As I've said, I used to reward myself after a long, hard week. Reward myself with fast food. Ice Cream. Pizza. Ice Cream. I still let this irrational thinking creep in - especially bad right after WW WI's. I don't do that anymore. Still got room to improve here.

    Appeal of Immediate Gratification

    This is a biggie. WOW. Never thought of it like he's got it stated. But this is me. I want it now. If I get a thought in my head about food, I must have it now. And no, I don't think of the long-term negatives of short-term payoffs.

    Okay, so I feel better about getting up and bike riding this morning even though I slept horribly last night. Taking care of the long-term!

    I see where I have work to do to change my payoffs.
  • Okay, I finally found my book. The cleaning lady "Put it up" somewhere and I't taken me almost 2 weeks to find it, but sa you can see, I'm still committed, and kept on until I found it.

    Chapter 7 Hummmmm One thing I'm wondering about is when I'm eating because I'm hungry or because I'm programedto eat at those time, or in those situations? Any how do I know the difference?

    And like Terri I LIKE FOOD

    Well, that's all I've got time to say right now, but I'll be back.
  • I might be “slow” this week because my sisters and their families arrive on Thursday. I doubt I will be able to read much less post until the following Wednesday.

    Just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t “leaving” you.

    I really want to devote WAY more time than I have been to this so I make some progress, especially since Kat found it necessary to start the weigh in thread. I always suspected she was trouble!
  • I just read through the replacing bad habits with incompatible behaviors section. I will have to be observant for any bad habits that I have. Now that I don't get home before DH anymore, that pretty much ended the snacking after work habit.

    I really liked his comment about an attitude of "willing spirit".

    Be willing to experiment and try new things in order to weaken your old habits.


    I also loved this.

    "Successful people will do what unsuccessful people won't."


    Both of those should be mantras we say to ourselves each day.

    My goal is to make a list of what habits need to be changed.
  • Thurs 7/1
    I am soooo behind; I haven't started this chapter yet. Maybe I should keep my book in a more prominent place instead of tucked away by the sofa

    I do pretty good with food until I get to work. I work evenings and I am the only evening employee in my department. Except for a lady in another office, I am alone in my part of the building. As a transcriptionist all your attention is focused on what your listening to and getting it typed exactly as it is dictated. I guess my job isolates me from other people as I can't engage in conversation while doing my job; I have to stop what I'm doing to talk to someone and that makes me fall behind. I can't listen to music and the dictation at the same time either. And of course there is always someone on day shift complaining about how bad the day was when I get to work. So I find myself grabbing handfuls of candy out of the chocolate stash and getting candy out of the snack machine. I also get tired around 10-11pm. So I really don't know how to cope at work.

    I've got to devote more time to this study.
  • I've finished with Chap 7.

    I highlighted quite a bit in the Step Two - Overcome your Impulses and Urges section. That is SOOOO ME. While I think I've made a lot of changes in my life and how I used to do a lot of things....impulses tend to keep me where I am. I have impulse control issues in other areas of my life. I realized long ago that I am an impulse shopper and learned that if I just walk away, the impulse goes away. I have trouble buying just one thing when I go clothes shopping. And so it goes with food sometimes. Its not constant but its there.

    Okay, something to work on. (something else that is). Recognizing impulses and finding some activity that is incompatible with the impulse.

    I also learned something from the Changing your eating style section. I eat too fast. I think I noted before that I need to take breaks while eating so that I control portions more.

    Hmmm, I need to find a journal of some sort and get all these things written down that I can keep handy. I don't want to forget when I learned and how I need to make changes.

    I loved his passage in the new payoffs for new behaviors section. I should photocopy that and paste it on my bathroom mirror or something.

    Do we want to have a week where we review what we've learned so far since we are about halfway through the book? Or forge ahead with Chap 8?
  • A review week is a GREAT idea, Terri. I had been thinking of doing it anyway so review from the 4th through the 10th and start Chapter 8 on the 11th???
  • I think defining "impulse momentents" will be big for me.

    Quote:
    Think about what what traps you into overeating.
    I would say my BIGGEST trap is when I am tired after work.

    So, I made a small list of things to do when I am most vulnerable to impulses.
    I will be concentrating on switching gears during this time of the day.

    Quote:
    As soon as you feel the impluse, being engaging, deliberately, in the imcompatible substitute.
    Quote:
    Organize yourself and your day in a way that moves you up the success ladder.
    I resonate with these two statements - the first one because having a disease that includes chronic fatigue I have let it get too easy or me to "give in" and become a slug.

    Organize myself for success - WOW do I need this reminder. In my former life (weighing 130) I dressed nice; took care of my body; participated. Now,
    I do none of that. I let my disease win !!!! Well, I want to be a success again. Get in the game, as Dr. Phil says.

    I just went and applied a facial masque. It's a start.!!!

    Onto the reviewal of the first chapters.